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Customers of SpaceX’s popular Starlink broadband service, which offers ultrafast low-latency internet speeds across the UK and the world via a mega constellation of compact satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), may like to know that they’ve added a useful “Event Log” feature to their accompanying App.

Starlink currently has around 8,500 satellites in orbit (c.4,895 are v2 / V2 Mini) – mostly at altitudes of c.500-600km – and they’ll add thousands more by the end of 2027. Residential customers in the UK usually pay from £75 a month, plus £299 for hardware (currently free for most areas) on the ‘Standard’ unlimited data plan (kit price may vary due to different offers), which promises UK latency times of 26-33ms, downloads of 116-277Mbps and uploads of 17-32Mbps. Cheaper and more restrictive options also exist for roaming users.

Existing customers of the service will know that the App already had a limited “Outage Log“, but this only tracked periods where the user terminal lost connectivity. By comparison, the new “Event Log” builds on that by also including router-related outages (e.g. if your Starlink router was powered off, asleep or disconnected) and non-outage events that may affect service quality but don’t necessarily bring your network fully offline (e.g. elevated packet loss or device reboots).

According to Starlink’s related support page: “The goal of the Event Log is transparency. We want you to see what’s happening in your network in real time, not just when service is completely offline. This helps you understand the cause of issues when they happen ... This expanded view makes the Event Log a more powerful tool for diagnosing issues across your whole Starlink setup“.

The Event Log tracks such activity over the past 24 hours and is designed to grow. “We’re continually adding new event types as we refine what’s most useful to share. Our philosophy is to be as open as possible about what’s happening on your network,” said Starlink. The extra information and added ability to self-diagnose issues could potentially also reduce the number of support requests the service attracts.

The new Event Log can be found in the app under “Statistics > Events and outages“, although at present that’s the only place you can access it as they haven’t yet added the feature to their website.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

News

Netomnia has unveiled a new rebrand to better reflect the scale and longevity of its full fibre ambitions

The rebrand follows the company’s 2024 merger with brsk, which saw the company become the second-largest altnet in the UK, after CityFibre. Netomnia currently has 2.8 million premises serviceable and 400,000 customers connected as of September 2025, with the stated goal of passing five million premises passed by 2027.

To achieve this, Netomnia is backed by around £1.6 billion in funding, the last £300 million of which was secured earlier this month.

According to the altnet, the rebrand places greater emphasises on its role as a future-ready fibre network built to enable tomorrow’s innovations. In a press release, the company explained its new logo:

“‘Net’ represents the inclusive network built for everyone, while ‘Omnia’ (Latin for ‘all things’) conveys readiness to power whatever innovations come next. The refreshed circular abstract element symbolises both ‘the right connection’ and ‘the potential’, forming a complete circle that suggests connectivity and continuous progress. Modern typography and a vibrant colour palette – bold red-pink paired with deep blues and contrast black – project dynamism, confidence, and innovation, ensuring Netomnia stands out with clarity and strength.”

“This is more than a design change. It’s a signal of the company we’ve become – powerful, ambitious, and building the UK’s third fibre infrastructure. Where the most powerful internet lives is both our idea and our promise,” said Jeremy Chelot, Group CEO of Netomnia, YouFibre and brsk.

The rebrand will see its first public outing at this year’s Connected Britain conference taking place on Wednesday 24th September and featuring a keynote address from Group CEO Jeremy Chelot.

For more information, visit Netomnia at booth 247

Tickets for Connected Britain are still available! Get yours today.

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Mobile operator Vodafone UK (VodafoneThree) has revealed that they intend to switch off their now ancient 2G based mobile network “during 2030“, roughly three years ahead of the government’s official 2033 deadline for the phasing out of both 2G and 3G services (here). The operator has already shut down its 3G network (here).

One of the reasons why 2G has stuck around for so much longer, more so than even 3G (the first 2G services went live in 1991!), is because it has remained useful as a low-power fallback and is still necessary for some rural areas, as well as for particular applications (e.g. some Smart Meters and other Internet of Things (IoT) / M2M services remain dependent upon 2G).

Nevertheless, the government and mobile operators have already agreed to retire both 2G and 3G services by 2033. Last year similarly saw O2 (Virgin Media) become the first UK mobile operator to confirm that they would start the slow process of switching customers away from 2G in 2025 (here), although it’s expected to take several more years before they’d be able to completely phase it out.

Much like with 3G, any move to close down 2G will ultimately free up radio spectrum bands so that they can be repurposed to further improve the network coverage and mobile broadband speeds of more modern 4G and 5G networks, as well as future 6G services. The switch-off will also reduce the operators’ costs and power consumption.

The big development today is that Vodafone has now confirmed that they intend to switch-off 2G in the UK “during 2030” (note: Three UK has no 2G spectrum), while their German division already aims to complete this transition by 2028. In fact, by 2030, Vodafone said they will also be phasing out all of their remaining 2G networks across Europe.

Vodafone Statement

With spectrum in short supply, phasing out outdated 2G networks efficiently frees up this valuable resource, as well as allowing Vodafone to reallocate capital to support more advanced technologies. By 2030, Vodafone will be phasing out all its remaining 2G networks in Europe to further improve and extend more efficient and reliable 4G and 5G networks. This is consistent with industry trends. Data from industry body the GSMA indicates that 131 networks are scheduled for shut down by 2030, with about half being 2G networks.

Vodafone’s exact phasing of the switch over from 2G to newer technologies will vary country-by-country. For example, Vodafone Germany aims to complete this transition by 2028 and is working closely with the small number of customers, mostly businesses, to ensure that their migration from 2G is managed as smoothly as possible. VodafoneThree has also announced it will switch-off the Vodafone UK 2G network during 2030 (Three UK has no 2G spectrum).

Out with the old

By the time 2G is retired, it will have been in operation for nearly four decades and is now inefficient and costly to run.

A key limitation of 2G is its slow data transfer rate. For each hertz of spectrum – which is how data travels – 2G can carry 0.1 bits of information per second. 4G in comparison can carry 2.4 bits. This makes it impossible to use 2G for data-intensive applications such as video streaming or online gaming.

A gigabyte of data also uses up to one hundred times less energy to transmit over 5G than it does over 2G. 5G provides mobile operators the potential to lower their environmental impact, as industry standards target a 90% reduction in energy use, according to the GSMA.

Network operation and maintenance costs will decrease as legacy equipment required for 2G can be recycled, which may also make physical space available for new equipment at Vodafone’s mobile sites.

Vodafone hasn’t yet revealed exactly how they will phase the 2G switch-off in the UK, although we wouldn’t be at all surprised if they started the customer communications and migrations phase before 2030.

Original article Total Telecom:Read More

Press Release

Just a few months after its creation, VodafoneThree has today announced the next major milestone in building the UK’s best network, with the appointment of strategic build partners to support the delivery of one of Europe and the UK’s largest, privately-funded infrastructure projects, totalling contracts worth more than £2 billion. 

Global communications technology leaders Ericsson and Nokia will deliver part of the unprecedented £11 billion network investment plan. By providing world-class connectivity to all corners of the UK, this investment will boost the UK economy by up to £102 billion (between 2025 and 2035). In turn, delivering the infrastructure needed by all sectors to power Britain’s digital future, including energy, financial services, manufacturing, security and technology. The deal will span an eight-year period and uses the latest technology and R&D to make sure that VodafoneThree’s network will deliver world-leading 5G technology over the course of the decade. 

VodafoneThree’s fully funded and regulated plan to build the network at pace will bring jobs to every region of the UK, creating as many as 13,000 jobs in the engineering, construction and maintenance of telecom towers, fibre optics, and base stations over the entire eight-year build period. 

The majority (74%) of roles created will be outside of London and the South East, bringing employment opportunities to people in towns and communities across the four nations. This reinforces VodafoneThree’s commitment to supporting national growth through digital transformation, while equipping today and tomorrow’s talent with the skills they need for the future. 

VodafoneThree’s plan is front loaded. In year one, nearly three-quarters of the population will have access to VodafoneThree’s fastest 5G speeds, increasing to 90% of the population with access to 5G SA in year three. The network build will transform connectivity across the country, bringing 5G Standalone (5G SA) to 99.95% population by 2034. 

Max Taylor, CEO, VodafoneThree, said: “We said we would deliver at pace and, just a few months in, we are delighted to announce our strategic partners, Ericsson and Nokia, that will work with us to deliver our ambition of building the UK’s best network. They bring the scale and expertise needed to accelerate the delivery of a resilient, secure, world-class and future-ready network, and together, we are laying the foundations for the UK’s digital future.” 

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said: “We are proud to partner with VodafoneThree as their primary vendor to power them with the most advanced programmable network products, software and solutions in the world. Trusted high-performing programmable networks are critical to success for the UK’s digital economy. AI, automation and virtual/augmented reality won’t reach their potential without them.” 

Justin Hotard, President and CEO at Nokia said: “Today’s networks need new levels of performance, trust, and resilience. We are pleased that VodafoneThree has chosen our industry-leading network solutions to build a future-proof 5G Standalone network across the UK to meet the needs of customers today and as the AI supercycle accelerates.” 

As part of the agreement, Ericsson will deploy its next generation, high-performing Radio Access Network (RAN) and core network solutions across the UK. In addition to modernising existing 4G and 5G infrastructure, the deployment of Ericsson RAN over 10,000 sites in the UK will underpin VodafoneThree’s population-wide rollout of 5G SA connectivity by 2034. 

Nokia will supply equipment from its ultra-performance Radio Access Network portfolio to approximately 7,000 sites across the UK. Nokia will also modernise part of VodafoneThree’s voice core. This will deliver premium connectivity to VodafoneThree’s customers nationwide with improved speeds, coverage, capacity and a smooth transition to 5G Standalone networks. 

The two partners make up the majority, but not the entirety, of VodafoneThree’s network build which will culminate in a greater number of sites. 

Four British based site-build partners with extensive experience – Beacon Communication Services Limited, Circet Wireless Limited, M Group Limited and WHP Telecoms Limited – will accompany the technology partners, delivering vital work to enable the build across the UK. 

How is the UK connectivity market changing in 2025? Join the discussion at Connected Britain, taking place this week! Free tickets still available

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Tarana Wireless has announced that their next-generation “6GHz” capable G1 wireless (ngFWA) platform and kit is now ready to deploy in the UK with the addition of support for the UK’s Band C (5725-5850 MHz). This can be enabled via an “optional, free software upgrade to unlock the 6 GHz spectrum as it is available“.

At present a number of Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) providers in the UK are known to be using Tarana’s ngFWA setup, including broadband ISP Airband (here). But this has tended to use part of the 5GHz band, and the new announcement indicates that they’ll now able to add support for “6GHz” via a software update.

However, when Ofcom talks about 6GHz, they’re usually referencing both the upper 6GHz radio spectrum band (6425 to 7125MHz) and the lower part (5925 to 6425MHz). By comparison, Tarana’s mention of 6GHz is actually more akin to 5.8GHz, since it’s referencing the bit below that – 5725-5850MHz.

This is an important distinction because the UK regulator is currently still consulting on their January 2025 proposal to exempt additional devices (equipment) from needing a wireless telegraphy licence in the 5.8GHz band, including FWA kit (here). Clearly, Tarana are anticipating that the regulator will grant approval in the near future, which does seem likely to occur but is not yet approved.

FWA providers would no doubt welcome the extra spectrum capacity within their networks, which could mean faster wireless broadband speeds to homes and businesses.

Original article ISPreview UK:Read More

Network access provider Openreach (BT) has today provided a progress update on the difference that their innovations (e.g. drones, mini-exchanges, LiDAR-powered planning etc.) are making to their ongoing roll-out of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) based broadband ISP technology. This network now covers 20 million premises (70% of the UK).

We start things off with drones. Openreach have been using air drones to help deploy (carry) new fibre optic cables since late 2017, which comes in particularly handy when the fibre needs to be run over difficult or dangerous terrain (e.g. rivers, valleys and steep gorges). The operator has even deployed underwater drones to inspect and repair cables beneath some of Britain’s lakes and rivers.

According to the latest update, the operator’s DroneOps team is now home to 14 trained pilots and they’ve collectively flown nearly 1,200 missions, helping Openreach with more than 400,000km of fibre and connecting more than 100,000 premises in the process. Such missions are said to have saved over 600 days of “dwell time“, avoided more than 100 requests for temporary traffic lights, and helped them skip 50-60km of disruptive duct digging.

After that we come to Subtended Headends (SHEs), which have been around since 2019 (here) and are essentially mini exchanges (i.e. mini-head end or mini-Optical Line Terminals) that can be installed closer to customers – inside new or existing street cabinets). The approach is a useful way of extending the reach of a fibre cable by up to threefold and helps to cut down on the need for some other civil works; up to 1,000 additional premises can be reach from a single SHE.

The latest data reveals that Openreach has now installed 1,200 fibre-boosting nodes (SHEs) like this, saving an estimated £120m and 8,500km of fibre “that we didn’t need to lay” (up from just 1,262km only a couple of years ago). The change probably helps to underline that the operator’s roll-out is now increasingly tackling rural areas, where such methods can be particularly handy.

In addition, there have been a couple of smaller developments. For example, Openreach are now able to survey twice as many building per day and have slashed related costs by up to 65% after deploying Holoplan, which we’ve touched on a couple of times before. Developed by Digitalnauts, this LiDAR-powered tech turns a smartphone into a 3D scanner that allows engineers to create accurate VR models of buildings in seconds – mapping cable routes, equipment, and layouts in real time (saves lots of manual measuring etc.).

Finally, the operator is also now using overblow technology, where new fibres are propelled on a cushion of air through existing ducts. “It’s not only faster, but it uses fewer materials, it’s less invasive for nature, and it dramatically reduces the need for roadworks which disrupt communities,” said Openreach. But we didn’t get any data on this one.

We should point out that some of Openreach’s rivals are also deploying similar approaches, so none of this is strictly unique to the incumbent. But it’s always interesting to see what kind of impact such things can have at scale.

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Mobile operator VodafoneThree (Vodafone and Three UK) has this morning announced that they’ve signed two multi-billion-pound and 8-year long partnerships with network technology suppliers Ericsson and Nokia. The deals will see both suppliers provide radios and other cell / core network kit and services for 17,000+ mobile sites across the United Kingdom.

The announcement forms part of VodafoneThree’s post-merger plan to invest £11bn into upgrading the UK’s 5G mobile infrastructure and coverage over the next decade (here, here and here). The combined business has also previously stated that it aspires to reach more than 99.95% of the UK population with their 5G Standalone (5GSA) network by 2034 and push fixed wireless access (mobile home broadband) to 82% of households by 2030, among other things.

As part of the above, today’s deal reflects the fact that two leading global communications technology suppliers, Ericsson and Nokia, have now been appointed as key partners in the delivery of all this. In addition, four additional British-based telecoms site-build partners – Beacon Communication Services Limited, Circet Wireless Limited, M Group Limited and WHP Telecoms Limited – will support delivery of the vital work.

The overall project is described as being “one of Europe and the UK’s largest privately-funded infrastructure builds” and one that will help boost the UK economy by “up to” £102bn between 2025 and 2035, creating as many as 13,000 jobs in engineering and construction (74% of the roles will be outside of London and the South East). But it’s always wise to take such big economic claims with a pinch of salt, as they can be hard to prove.

The deal was not unexpected as both Ericsson and Nokia were strategic suppliers to both operators before the merger, which was naturally something that needed updating post-merger to reflect the combined network strategy.

Max Taylor, CEO, VodafoneThree, said:

“We said we would deliver at pace and, just a few months in, we are delighted to announce our strategic partners, Ericsson and Nokia, that will work with us to deliver our ambition of building the UK’s best network. They bring the scale and expertise needed to accelerate the delivery of a resilient, secure, world-class and future-ready network, and together, we are laying the foundations for the UK’s digital future.”

Börje Ekholm, President and CEO, Ericsson, said:

“We are proud to partner with VodafoneThree as their primary vendor to power them with the most advanced programmable network products, software and solutions in the world. Trusted high-performing programmable networks are critical to success for the UK’s digital economy. AI, automation and virtual/augmented reality won’t reach their potential without them.”

Justin Hotard, President and CEO at Nokia said:

“Today’s networks need new levels of performance, trust, and resilience. We are pleased that VodafoneThree has chosen our industry-leading network solutions to build a future-proof 5G Standalone network across the UK to meet the needs of customers today and as the AI supercycle accelerates.”

As part of the agreement, Ericsson will deploy its next generation, high-performing Radio Access Network (RAN) and core network solutions across the UK, reaching over 10,000 sites. This is in addition to modernising existing 4G and 5G infrastructure. Meanwhile, Nokia will supply equipment from its ultra-performance RAN portfolio to approximately 7,000 sites and will also “modernise part of VodafoneThree’s voice core“.

The two partners make up the majority, but not the entirety (some of the missing bit may reflect Vodafone’s OpenRAN deployment), of VodafoneThree’s network build, which will culminate in a greater number of sites. The result should not only deliver better mobile coverage for consumers, but also a more reliable network, with more capacity and of course faster mobile broadband speeds.

UPDATE 7:43am

We understand both deals are worth a combined £2bn.

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Hull-based alternative UK network operator MS3, which has deployed their full fibre (FTTP) broadband ISP network across 234,000 premises (207k RFS) in the North of England, has announced that they’ve just connected their 20,000th customer in the Hull and Humber region (up from 19,000 on 3rd July 2025).

The announcement partly reflects the fact that MS3 has been focusing more on commercialisation of their existing network than rolling out new fibre over the past few months (here). At the same time it’s clear that quite a few people in the region do appreciate the fact that they now have more choice than KCOM’s local network.

Tony Jopling, MS3’s COO, said (Thisishull): “Our investment in the rollout of our full fibre network across Hull and beyond was a direct result of the long-standing monopoly in the region. We’ve always known market competition would benefit local residents by improving service quality and driving down prices, and the news of the 20,000th connection to our network is a clear sign that’s been the case. We’re delighted to have saved local people millions of pounds in recent years.”

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Mobile and broadband operator Sure, which serves the English Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey, has confirmed that customers of the Airtel Vodafone service have started to be migrated on to their network. The move follows last year’s £48m deal to build a new “world-class” 5G mobile broadband network across the islands as part of Sure’s acquisition of the operator.

Readers may recall that the original deal (here) only became possible after the States of Guernsey voted to temporarily suspend local competition law in order to allow the merger (here). The agreement also required Sure to make several legally binding commitments to help protect local competition, which among other things included some pricing protection measures and a requirement to launch a new virtual mobile operator (mvno) with the Channel Island Co-Op (Coop Mobile).

The big news this week (credits to BBC News) is that Airtel Vodafone’s customers yesterday began their migration over to Sure’s platform, which is occurring in phases and due to run for the next few days. “From Sunday 21 September to Wednesday 24 September, all Airtel accounts will be moved to Sure systems. There’s nothing you need to do. Your mobile, broadband, and landline will continue to work as normal. If you have any trouble connecting to the Airtel network during this time, please restart your phone,” said a statement on Sure’s website.

Sure has pledged that customers impacted by this change will continue to receive the same network, service and support as before. The main change for now is that they’ll begin to receive their monthly bills from Sure instead of Airtel. Customers will also be able to manage their accounts via Sure’s online portal.

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The debt strained TalkTalk Group, which has already been through a demerger of its businesses and last year secured a £400m refinancing package to avoid a default on its debts (here, here) – not to mention the latest £120m funding deal to help tackle recent financial pressures (here), is reportedly set to appoint advisers PJT Partners to help sell off its remaining operations.

The long-established UK internet and phone provider – home to 3.2 million broadband customers (down c.400k from last year) – has spent the past few years trying to find ways of dealing with the pressure from its existing debt pile. Over that time we’ve seen the group being demerged into three separate businesses (Talk Talk Consumer, Talk Talk Business Direct and PXC [Wholesale]), as well as various asset sales, job cuts, offshoring of support, cost-cutting / efficiency savings and all sorts of other measures to try and fix the foundations.

Suffice to say that the group is still not out of the woods. In fact, not a year seems to go by when we don’t hear word of their continuing efforts to hunt a buyer for different parts of their business (here), albeit so far without much success.

The latest development, according to Sky News, is that TalkTalk appear to be in the process of appointing investment bank PJT Partners to conduct a Strategic Review of their operations, which will be aimed at securing a disposal (sale) of its remaining businesses. Regular readers might be forgiven for experiencing a strong sense of deja vu.

Selling off the group’s consumer broadband ISP (TalkTalk) and wholesale division (PXC) has so far proven to be more than a little difficult and is expected to take some time. TalkTalk’s Ethernet subsidiary (currently part of PXC) could potentially also be sold off on a standalone basis, according to insiders.

Finding a buyer for such a large retail provider would be difficult, not least since most of their base often comes linked to their own wholesale (PXC) platform / network and any alternative networks with an interest would need to figure out how to migrate those (PXC might not like that idea). Equally, even some of the biggest retail ISPs would need to scale-up rapidly in order to take on the extra support and service burdens that come with such a sizeable base.

At present, the likes of Vodafone and Sky Broadband are probably better bets than BT or Virgin Media for TalkTalk’s retail base, partly due to their packages and operations being more closely aligned with TalkTalk’s retail business. But Sky has just cut hundreds of jobs (here) and so may not be in the best position, while it’s unclear whether Vodafone would have the appetite while their teams are already busy integrating operations after their merger with Three UK.

Finally, competition and other market regulators (e.g. Ofcom) are likely to take an interest in such a deal, which probably rules out BT (their existing retail scale would make this very difficult). Time will tell. TalkTalk is said to have declined Sky’s request for a comment.